EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for “Advanced IoT and Device Technologies” (HORIZON-JU-SNS-2025-01-STREAM-B-01-02)

1. Single Market Access

Opportunity: Leverage the world’s largest integrated market (450+ million citizens, ~€16 trillion GDP) to launch 6G-ready IoT devices and services.

• Access to pan-EU industrial value chains (Automotive, HealthTech, Industry 4.0) accelerates commercial uptake once TRL 6–8 is achieved.

• Harmonised CE-marking and RED Directive compliance mean one technical approval unlocks 30 countries.

• Public-sector demand (e.g. smart cities, public health) is boosted by the Public Procurement of Innovative Solutions (PPIS) rules that favour EU-funded results.

2. Cross-Border Collaboration

Opportunity: Build consortia mixing telecom vendors, semiconductor SMEs, universities, and vertical end-users from multiple Member/Associated States.

• Joint pilots across at least three countries satisfy SNS “balanced portfolio” goals and prove roaming/unlicensed-band interoperability in real-world multi-regulatory settings.

• Use existing EU facilities: 5G-IA/6G-IA testbeds, the European Spectrum Observatory, ESA-funded NTN labs for battery-less terminals.

• Tap the European Partnership on Metrology for shared ultra-low-power reference measurements.

3. EU Policy Alignment

Opportunity: Position the project as an enabler of flagship EU strategies.

• Green Deal ➜ Zero-energy device work packages deliver measurable reductions in lifecycle carbon footprint; qualifies for Green Public Procurement scoring.

• Digital Decade & Digital Europe ➜ Contributes to the target of 10 000 climate-neutral edge nodes; aligns with the EU Chips Act by focusing on EU-fabricated ULP chipsets.

• SME Strategy ➜ Built-in SME participation tie-breaker gives small tech firms priority access to €60 m SNS Stream-B envelope.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation

Opportunity: Shape future pan-European rules while reducing compliance cost.

• Participate in ETSI ISG RIS & 6G for IoT working groups; project results feed directly into harmonised standards for unlicensed 6G-U bands.

• Cyber-Resilience Act pilots: demonstrating secure-by-design battery-less devices now eases mandatory certification later.

• Contribute data to the common AI training repository mandated by the MGA—accelerates conformity with the forthcoming AI Act.

5. Innovation Ecosystem Access

Opportunity: Embed the project in Europe’s top research and innovation networks.

• 29 EU KIC Digital Innovation Hubs offer experimentation vouchers and end-user matchmaking.

• Synergies with Horizon Europe Cluster 4 projects (e.g. Hexa-X-II) guarantee technology hand-over and visibility in 6G-IA white papers.

• Easy onboarding to the IPCEI Micro-electronics supply-chain map for preferential access to pilot fabrication lines (e.g. IMEC, CEA-LETI).

6. Funding Synergies

Opportunity: Multiply impact by stacking complementary EU instruments.

• Seal-of-Excellence SMEs can fast-track to EIC Accelerator (up to €17.5 m blended finance) for post-RIA scale-up.

• Cohesion Policy – ERDF regional calls can co-finance local 6G testbeds or manufacturing plants (State-aid compliant Art. 107.3).

• Digital Europe Programme offers €1–3 m for cybersecurity hardening of the same IoT stack.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

Opportunity: Achieve EU-wide deployment paths impossible at national scale.

• Unlicensed 6G-U operation demonstrated in 3–5 industrial campuses forms a blueprint for 200 000+ EU factories (Eurostat) under the Transition Pathway for Industry.

• Passive NTN terminals bolster EU satellite operators’ service portfolios, supporting secure connectivity in remote regions and outermost territories.

• Common open-data/AI repository fosters secondary markets (predictive maintenance, digital twins), estimated at €25 bn by 2030.

8. Strategic Value vs. National-Level Projects

1. Removes spectrum-fragmentation risk: a single ETSI-aligned output governs the entire unlicensed 6G band, unlike divergent national pilots.

2. De-risks supply-chain sovereignty: Article 22(5) participation safeguards keep critical IP inside the EU, supporting open-strategic autonomy.

3. Pan-EU piloting validates roaming, multilingual user interaction, and GDPR/AI-Act compliance in one go—saving ~30 % development cost.

9. Actionable Next Steps for Applicants

• Map consortium partners to the three topic priorities and ensure at least one SME per WP; highlight compliance with gender-equality plan requirement.

• Pre-book test time in EU 6G testbeds (e.g. 5TONIC, 6G-Sandbox) to evidence fast deployment capability in the Excellence section.

• Engage National Contact Points to secure letters of support linking RIA outcomes to upcoming Recovery & Resilience Facility investments.